The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974
(FERPA) grants any student currently in attendance, or to
any former student, the right of access to inspect or review
his or her educational files, records, or data. Students who
wish to inspect their records must file a Right of Access
Form with the office or department in which the desired
record is kept. Right of Access Forms are available in the
Office of Student Services or through self service on ISIS.
Within 10 days of receipt of the Right of Access Form, the
office or department will notify the student as to the date,
time and location that the desired record will be available
for inspection. The file of each student must contain a
record of all non-University affiliated individuals or
organizations requesting access to it, plus statements that
specify the legitimate educational purposes for which access
was requested. The record of access may be released only to
University personnel or to state or federal officials as a
means of auditing the reporting of access to student
records. Information of records concerning individual
students may not be released to any individual or agency
without written permission of the student. Any request for
such information received without such written notice will
not be honored and will be returned with a request for a
written release by the student.
Educational records may be released without permission
to the following individuals or agencies under the following
specific conditions:
- Personnel of the University, i.e., faculty,
administrators or staff for legitimate educational purposes
only;
- Officials of other institutions in which the student
is enrolled, provided that the student is notified of the
release;
- Federal or state officials in connection with the
audit and evaluation of programs funded by the federal or
state governments or in connection with the enforcement of
legal requirements that relate to such programs or in
connection with the student’s application for or receipt of
financial aid;
- State and local officials pursuant to any state
statute adopted prior to November 19, 1974;
- Organizations conducting studies for the purpose of
developing predictive tests, administering student aid
programs and improving instruction;
- Accrediting organizations in order to carry out their
accrediting functions;
- Parents who claim the student as a dependent on their
IRS statement; and
- Directory Information: When necessary, in an
emergency, to protect the health, safety or welfare of the
student or others, to persons who are in a position to deal
with the emergency. The following data is considered
informational in nature and may be released, without
permission of the student, at the discretion of the
University: Student's name, major, acknowledgment of a
student's participation in officially recognized activities
and sports, weight and height of members of athletic teams,
date(s) of attendance; degrees, certificates, awards
received; the most recent previous educational agency or
institution attended by the student and appointment as a
Resident Assistant or Community Development Assistant. For
graduate students who are teaching credit courses, work
department, office address, and employment category are also
defined as directory information.
Any student who believes that his or her records are
inaccurate or misleading may request a meeting with the
Division of Graduate, Online & Professional Studies to discuss the contents of
such records. Additional information on procedures or
policies relating to University compliance with the Family
Rights and Privacy Act can be obtained from the Office of
Student Services or visit the main University catalog site
at
https://www.uml.edu/Catalog/Undergraduate/Policies/Academic-Policies/Student-Records.aspx